


notes in a bottle

by LugianBeforeSwine



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, Male MC, a guy can dream, basically what i hope will happen by the end of book 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23578240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LugianBeforeSwine/pseuds/LugianBeforeSwine
Summary: “I broke up with Sora.”Casey blinked, taken aback. “You did?”“Yeah.”“What happened?”Rafael hesitated, and Casey backpedaled. “You don’t have to tell me, of course. You don’t owe me an explanation—"“No, Casey, I want to tell you. But before I do, I need you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, okay? I’m so glad we’re still friends. I don’t want anything to change that.”Casey and Raf talk through their feelings. (It's about damn time.)
Relationships: Rafael Aveiro/Main Character (Open Heart)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	notes in a bottle

It had been a week since he had heard from Rafael, and Casey was getting increasingly worried. Clearly being suspended from work had no impact on his tendency toward self-sacrifice, and the longer the radio silence continued, the more concerned Casey became that Rafael had bravely, stupidly, thrown himself head-first into another life-or-death situation. His only comfort came from the fact that Danny claimed to have seen him walking through the hospital a few days prior, presumably for another meeting with his supervisor. But it wasn’t like Rafael to ignore Casey’s texts, or anyone’s, for that matter. Bryce and Ethan said he hadn’t shown up for their morning workouts recently, and they had only received a message from Rafael after the first missed session, which said that he was sorry but he was too busy to attend.

Today was their day off, and Casey and his roommates were sprawled on the living room furniture, playing video games and chatting, the windows open to let in a light breeze. Though nothing could fully distract from his concern over Rafael, Casey was enjoying the mindless chitchat and relentless button-mashing, and the comfort of his roommates’ presence.

He was in the kitchen keeping an eye on some microwave popcorn when the doorbell rang, and he heard Sienna call “I’ll get it!” Expecting Bryce, Casey was surprised when Sienna let out an “Oh!” immediately followed by a scoff from Jackie.

“Hey, man!” Elijah was greeting the visitor as Casey poured the popcorn into a bowl. He stepped around the corner into the living room and nearly dropped the bowl at the sight of a sheepish-looking Rafael at the door. The relief that flooded through him nearly made his knees buckle, and he set the popcorn down before it could make a mess. “Rafael! You’re okay!”

“Yeah, umm…” His gaze flitted around the room. Five pairs of eyes were fixed on him, awaiting an explanation. In the end, he looked to Casey when he spoke. “I’m sorry for worrying you. All of you,” he added, shooting a quick glance at Casey’s roommates before turning back to him. “It was wrong of me not to reply to you guys, but I was…uhh…” he seemed to falter under the intensity of everyone’s stares. “Casey, can we talk? In private?”

“Yeah,” Casey said quickly, catching Aurora putting her hand over Jackie’s mouth in the corner of his vision. “Yeah, let’s go outside.”

They walked out of the apartment and around the corner of the building in silence. A low stone wall ran along one side of the complex, and Casey sat down on it. Rafael followed suit, leaving a few feet of space between them.

“So,” Casey said. “I’m really glad to see you’re in one piece. I thought maybe…something had happened to you.”

“I’m so sorry, Casey. I didn’t mean for you to worry about me. I just needed some time to myself. I…” He looked down at the weathered grass, scuffing his shoe against it before returning his gaze to meet Casey’s. “I broke up with Sora.”

Casey blinked, taken aback. “You did?”

“Yeah.”

“What happened?”

Rafael hesitated, and Casey backpedaled. “You don’t have to tell me, of course. You don’t owe me an explanation—"

“No, Casey, I want to tell you. But before I do, I need you to know that I don’t expect anything from you, okay? I’m so glad we’re still friends. I don’t want anything to change that.”

Casey shook his head, not at all daring to hope, even though his heart was racing in his chest. “Me either.”

Rafael smiled, but it was tight, almost pained. “Sora was my first love. When he left—it tore me apart. At home, at work, I was always surrounded by people, and they were wonderful, but somehow, without him, I was still lonely. My work was fulfilling, my family was supportive, but there was something missing. And then I met this doctor, and I saw the way he truly cared about his patients, and his friends, and making everyone feel comfortable and welcome, even though he was putting in 80-hour weeks and competing for this prestigious fellowship.” His expression softened. “And I didn’t feel lonely anymore.”

Casey swallowed past a lump in his throat. “Raf…what are you trying to say?”

“Casey, my feelings for you never went away. I just—when Sora moved back, and we started talking again, it seemed like everything could go back to the way it was when we were young, almost like nothing had changed. And for a while, it was good. It felt right, in a…I don’t know, a cosmic sort of way. Like it was fate, or something. But…” he trailed off.

“But what?” Casey prompted gently.

Rafael met his eyes. He looked as determined as he did when he was on the job, and Casey was almost taken aback by the intensity of his gaze. “But I realized that it was impossible for our relationship to be the same as it had been. Because things _had_ changed. I…meeting you changed me, Casey. And it wasn’t fair to Sora or to myself to pretend like it hadn’t.” He took a deep breath, then released it in a long sigh. “Whew. I’m glad that’s out there.”

Casey opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. There were so many things he wanted to say, and he didn’t know where to start.

Rafael seemed to take his hesitance as a dismissal, and cleared his throat before beginning to stand up. “Well, thanks for—”

“Raf, wait.” Casey grabbed his hand and pulled him back down to sit on the wall again. Neither of them made any move to let go of the other’s hand. “This is a lot to take in; just give me a second to collect my thoughts.”

Rafael nodded and stayed silent, chewing on his bottom lip. Casey closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to three, just as one of his favorite patients had taught him. When he opened his eyes, Rafael was still there, wearing a soft, hopeful expression and holding his hand. Casey smiled at him. He knew what he wanted to say.

“I won’t lie: watching you with Sora was painful for me. And then seeing you all the time at work, having you over our apartment…it was tough. But I can understand why you thought you should try again. And I can definitely understand why Sora did.” Casey grinned as Rafael blushed and shook his head. “But Raf, meeting you changed me, too. You made me a better doctor and a better person. And if you want to try this—us—again…that’s what I want, too.”

“Thank you,” Rafael said softly. He squeezed Casey’s hand and Casey squeezed back, both of them smiling wide. Rafael brought his other hand up to run his thumb gently over Casey’s jawline, and Casey leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. 

“Casey?” Rafael asked softly after a moment.

“Hmm?”

“Please tell me I can kiss you.”

Casey opened his eyes and reached forward, tangling his fingers in Rafael’s hair. “Please do.”

(Inside the apartment, Sienna held her hand out, palm-up, to Aurora. “It’s before the 10th. Pay up.”

“Goddammit,” Aurora grumbled, and shoved her hand in her pocket.)

**Author's Note:**

> please pb, i just want my man back :'(


End file.
